New government report says people in their 40s and 50s are hit hardest by flu complications

We’ve all been sidelined by the flu. No big deal, right? Well, new data from the CDC suggests that adults—especially those in their 40s and 50s—can’t afford to brush it off anymore. Adults between 41 and 65 years of age racked up the most flu-related hospital visits and deaths this flu season, according to the statistics from the California Department of Health in the CDC’s recently released influenza report.

“It’s hard to say what the picture is like state to state, but California is one of the few states that tracks influenza-related deaths in adults, not just children, and it does make up a part of the national picture,” says Jason McDonald, a spokesperson for the CDC’s National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases.

The shocker is not that middle-aged adults had strong reactions to H1N1, the most common strain this flu season, but that they were hit harder than infants, children, and older adults—groups whose immune systems are typically weakest. So why the disconnect? For one, middle-aged adults are saying “meh” to flu shots. Only 34% of adults got a flu vaccine, trailing 41% of children and 62% of those over 65. And, in an unexpected twist, those over 58 actually had an immunity advantage this season, having faced severe H1N1 not only in 2009 but also in 1956 and 1977.

Though peak flu season (January and February) is past, we’re not totally out of the weeds yet. “We’re definitely on the downhill, but reports of cases are still coming in,” McDonald says. Though your best bet for staying healthy now is simply sticking to common-sense hygiene practices, like frequent hand-washing, you can gear up for next year’s big bug by getting your vaccination in September. “The sooner you can get it, the better, and it will last all season long,” McDonald says. “This flu season was a stark reminder that even healthy adults can be affected.”